The King and Queen visit Halland County — watch films here

The King and Queen are given a guided tour by Gekås' CEO Boris Lennerhov. Photo: Jonas Ekströmer/Scanpix

On Thursday 4 April, The King and Queen visited Halland County.

The King and Queen summarised the day as follows: "Starting this stage of our county visits in Halland feels particularly poignant in view of Princess Lilian's recent death. As Duke and Duchess of Halland, Prince Bertil and Princess Lilian were both active in the county. Today, we have seen several indications of what made Halland such a special place for them, in particular the beautiful and varied countryside with its wealth of cultural treasures." The King gave his speech during dinner, which was hosted by the County Governor at Halmstad Castle. In his speech, The King said: "Your county is fantastic in many ways. But those of you who have chosen to live here already know that!"

17:14 Local residents spoke about the neighbourhood watch scheme. The King and Queen heard about a café that is run as a social enterprise, and about the Hand in Hand association, which carries out various activities in the interests of community and cooperation. The association has 113 members of 24 different nationalities.

The King and Queen with residents from the Andersberg neighbourhood at the citizens' service centre. Photo: royalcourt.se

17:11 The King and Queen arrived at Andersberg citizens' service centre. 17:03 The King and Queen were welcomed to the Andersberg neighbourhood by Terje Johansson, CEO of Halmstad Fastighets AB. He explained about the award-winning neighbourhood watch work carried out by Halmstad Fastighets AB together with the residents of blocks of flats to ensure security and wellbeing. Resident Influence Manager Helen Blomberg spoke about the various improvements carried out in the area.

16:52 Lars-Erik Lövdén, what did you want to show The King and Queen today during their visit? "I wanted to show them Eson Comfort, a company that is growing here, with its own niche in the world market. And we visited Gekås, a major destination for the county and a key employer. I also wanted to show them our countryside, so a trip along our beautiful coastal road was an obvious choice. The visit to the Halmstad Group's museum was important, since it showed the creativity that has characterised — and continues to characterise — our county. We will soon be concluding the visit in Andersberg, where we want to show how we are developing the area and working with integration. Today's programme has been packed, but The King and Queen seemed to enjoy it." 16:41 During the coach journey to the Andersberg residential area, Chairman of the Municipal Executive Board Carl Fredrik Graf talked about Halmstad Municipality.

16:09 Curator Annelie Tuveros welcomed The King and Queen and gave them a tour of Mjellby Art Museum. The museum has a large collection by the Halmstad Group, featuring around 600 works. The role of the museum is to work with surrealism from a regional, national and international perspective, with a high degree of attraction and quality. Find out more about Mjellby Art Museum here. 16:04 The King and Queen arrived at Mjellby Art Museum.

The King and Queen on the salmon bridge over the River Ätran. Photo: royalcourt.se

15:08 The King and Queen tried fishing from the salmon bridge in the local manner, using shrimps.

The King and Queen signed a signboard which will be displayed at the Herting Project. Photo: royalcourt.se

15:01 Assistant Director Bengt Orsander spoke about angling in the River Ätran. Fishing costs SEK 120 per day, and two salmon may be caught. There are around 300 salmon here, and around 1,000 salmon in the whole of the River Ätran. He also spoke about the Herting Project, which aims to reinstate salmon migration in the best way possible.14:56 The King and Queen arrived at the Hertingsforsen Rapids, at the River Ätran in Falkenberg. Municipal Ecologist Ingemar Alenäs spoke about the River Ätran, the finest salmon waters on the west coast of Sweden. The River Ätran and its tributary the River Högvadsån feature a stock of wild salmon, which merits special protection. Thanks to comprehensive fish and water conservation, it has been possible to preserve self-reproducing salmon. 14:22 During the coach journey to Falkenberg, Chairman of Falkenberg Municipal Executive Board Mari-Louise Wernersson explained how Gekås and the surrounding area contribute towards employment in the municipality. She also spoke about the municipality's environmental work with water and lakes. The municipality is investing heavily in wind turbines, and half the municipality's energy needs will soon come from wind power. 14:10 The King and Queen were shown around the department store.

13:38 At the office, Boris Lennerhov spoke about the destination Ullared, which in 2007 passed Liseberg amusement park as Sweden's most visited tourist attraction. Gekås Ullared AB was founded in 1963. In its second year, 1964, its turnover was SEK 56,000. Today, Ullared turns over this sum in just one and a half minutes. Last year Ullared attracted 4.6 million customers, who spend an average of five hours here. During the high season, around 1,400 people work at the department store. It is 35,000 square metres in size, and 1,000 pallets of goods are delivered every day. The store has 70 check-outs and 3,000 parking spaces. The most popular item is socks, with 13 million pairs sold each year.

The King and Queen at Gekås. Photo: Jonas Ekströmer/Scanpix

The King and Queen arrive at Gekås in Ullared. Photo: royalcourt.se

13:35 The King and Queen arrived at Gekås Ullared AB. They were welcomed by CEO Boris Lennerhov and owners Torbjörn Bäck and Thomas Karlsson. 12:56 The King and Queen boarded the coach for their onward journey to Ullared. 11:50 Lunch was served at Torups Gästgivaregård.

11:45 The King and Queen arrived at Torup.

The King and Queen's train ticket. Photo: royalcourt.se

Lisa Mela Svärd and Krister Engström are members of the Landeryd Railway Museum Association, and organised the day's trip between Landeryd and Torup. Photo: royalcourt.se

11:30 Lisa Mela Svärd is a member of the board of the Landeryd Railway Museum Association, and works as a conductor on the trains. How did you prepare for the journey? "We worked hard with the physical aspects, such as the major job of starting the locomotive. We had two locomotives running just in case something happened, which was fortunate because one of them didn't want to start yesterday. They're not like diesel locomotives where you just press a button." 11:28 Krister Engström, one of the founders of the Landeryd Railway Museum Association, explained about the work involved in equipping and running steam locomotive B1312, which was used to transport The King and Queen.

The King and Queen before departing for Torup. Photo: Jonas Ekströmer/Scanpix

Steam locomotive B1312 is owned by Landeryd Railway Museum. Made in 1916 in Motala, it weighs 116 tonnes, is 19.4 metres long and can travel at 90 km/h. This type of locomotive was one of the most commonly used on the Swedish railways, and 96 were built. The B1312 drew both passenger trains and goods trains.

The King and Queen at Landeryd railway station. Photo: royalcourt.se

11:05 The King and Queen walked to Landeryd station, where they inspected steam locomotive B1312.

Anders Erlandsson, owner of Eson Comfort, tells The King and Queen about the family business. Photo: royalcourt.se

The King and Queen with Anders Erlandsson at Eson Comfort in Landeryd. Photo: Jonas Ekströmer/Scanpix

10:36 The King and Queen were welcomed to Eson Comfort by owner Erlandsson. He spoke about the family business, which deals with patient comfort. The company, which was founded in 1996, develops and manufactures ergonomic seats and beds for hospitals, accident and emergency departments, ambulances and care institutions. The environmental perspective is important, with all materials being combustible and toxin-free.

10:20 The King and Queen visited Hylte Municipality. Mats Folkeson spoke about the ironworks, which was founded during the 18th century and paved the way for the industrialisation of the area. Stora Enso's Hylte Mill is one of the industries located here today. 09:47 County Custodian of Antiquities Mats Folkeson spoke about Halland from a historical perspective, including the town charter granted in 1307, and about the sights along the way en route to Landeryd. 09:40 The King and Queen departed by bus for Landeryd. County Governor Lars-Erik Lövdén spoke about the current situation in Halland. 09:32 The King and Queen were welcomed to Halland County by County Governor Lars-Erik Lövdén.

The programme for The King and Queen's visit on Thursday 4 April.

09:30 The King and Queen arrive at Halmstad, where they are welcomed by County Governor Lars-Erik Lövdén and his wife. 10:30 The King and Queen visit the company Eson Comfort in Landeryd. 11:00 The King and Queen walk to Landeryd station. They then make their way by steam locomotive to Torup. 11:50 Lunch at Torups Gästgivaregård. 13:20 The King and Queen visit Gekås Ullared AB in Ullared. 14:40 The King and Queen visit a salmon fishing area at the Hertingsforsen Rapids, at the River Ätran in Falkenberg. 15:50 The King and Queen visit Mjellby Art Museum in Halmstad. 16:45 The King and Queen visit the Andersberg neighbourhood and its citizens' service centre, in Halmstad. The day in Halland County concludes with dinner hosted by the County Governor at Halmstad Castle. The King gives a speech.

County visits 2013

In connection with The King's 40th jubilee, The King and Queen will be visiting all of Sweden's 21 counties during the year.